Primary Department: District Clerk
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Marilyn Burgess
Managing Department: District Clerk
Managing Department Head/Elected Official: Marilyn Burgess
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Investment Memo
Investment Memo Type: Final Investment Memo
Project Name: DCO Data Center UPS Upgrade
Project ID (if applicable): TBD
Vendor Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Achievement (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Incremental Authorization Requested: $403,042
Total Estimated Project Cost: $403,042
Request Summary:
title
Request for approval of a Final Investment Memo for the DCO Data Center UPS Upgrade project for an amount of $403,042 and commercial paper funding in the amount of $405,000.
end
Project Description:
The Harris County District Clerk’s Office is seeking funding for a Capital Improvement Project to replace and upgrade the existing Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) system that supports the critical infrastructure within the Harris County Civil Courthouse Data Center.
This data center serves as the central technology hub for all Harris County District Courts, County Courts at Law, and associated justice agencies, providing system access, application availability, and data services to justice employees, court staff, law enforcement partners, and the broader legal community.
The current UPS system has been in continuous operation since the opening of the Civil Courthouse in 2005. This system has reached the end of its viable service life and is scheduled to go end-of-life within the next year. Once it reaches end-of-life status, hardware support contracts will no longer be available, replacement parts will become scarce, and the risk of unplanned system failure will significantly increase.
The primary function of the UPS system is to sustain power to critical IT infrastructure during power outages - allowing systems to remain operational until building emergency generators come online. The UPS system is a cornerstone of our disaster recovery and business continuity planning, ensuring the operational resilience of justice technology services in the face of man-made or natural disasters, including hurricanes, flooding, power grid failures, or localized building incidents.
This project would fund the purchase and installation of a new, modern UPS system designed to meet current technology standards and support the County’s increasing technology demands. It will ensure that the County’s justice infrastructure is protected from power-related disruptions for years to come.
Anticipated Project Expenditures and Timeline:
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Project Scope Breakdown |
Unit Price |
Quantity |
Estimated Cost |
Estimated Completion |
|
Galaxy VS UPS 60kW 480V with N+1 power module for external batteries, Start-up 5x8 |
$114,102.56 |
2 |
$228,205.12 |
06/30/2025 |
|
InfraStruxure PDU 60kW 208V/208V Transformerless |
$16,283 |
2 |
$32,566.00 |
06/30/2025 |
|
Installation Accessories |
$1,610 |
4 |
$6,440 |
06/30/2025 |
|
Freight |
|
|
$2,545.68 |
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Installation and removal services |
|
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$96,645.00 |
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Contingency 10% |
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$36,640.18 |
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Total |
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$403,041.98 |
- |
Justification & Alternatives:
From an IT disaster recovery and continuity of operations (COOP) perspective, the need to replace and upgrade the District Clerk’s Data Center UPS system is both urgent and mission-critical.
The risk of continuing to operate on an end-of-life UPS system - without the availability of hardware support, replacement parts, or vendor expertise - is unacceptable given the vital role this system plays in the County's justice infrastructure.
Key Justifications:
Operational Risk: The UPS is a fundamental layer of protection against power loss for critical servers, storage, and network systems that support courtroom operations, case management systems, law enforcement connectivity, and court record access across Harris County.
Recent Real-World Incident: The Civil Courthouse experienced a power outage during the week of March 17, 2025. The existing UPS system performed exactly as designed, sustaining all critical IT infrastructure until building generators came online. Without a functioning UPS during this event, court operations across multiple buildings would have been disrupted, potentially resulting in mass disconnections, data loss, and operational downtime.
Disaster-Prone Region: Harris County is no stranger to natural disasters - hurricanes, flooding, and tropical storms are all well-documented threats to our region. Maintaining operational resilience against these events is a core responsibility of any disaster recovery plan.
Legal & Compliance Considerations: Alternative solutions, such as migrating the data center to an off-site public or private facility, would require years of planning, significant capital investment, and careful navigation of legal statutes, including Tex. Gov't Code § 51.304(a), which grants the District Clerk authority over the storage and management of court records.
Strategic Alignment: This project directly supports Harris County’s strategic goals of maintaining well-managed infrastructure, advancing disaster preparedness, and modernizing justice technology services across the County.
Financial Stewardship: The existing UPS system has been maintained in exceptional condition through dedicated support from the District Clerk’s IT team and vendor partners. This system has far exceeded its expected lifespan - providing nearly 20 years of service. However, continuing to defer its replacement would be fiscally irresponsible given the high risk of failure and the criticality of the systems it protects.
Stakeholders Impacted:
The beneficiaries of this project are vast and include:
• Harris County District Courts
• County Courts at Law
• Law enforcement agencies (local, state, federal)
• County Justice and Law Departments
• Court staff, administrative employees, and support teams
• Private sector legal professionals, background investigators, and research partners
• Citizens relying on justice services
Anticipated Impact on Other Funds (If Applicable): N/A
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Fund Code |
Description |
Estimated Cost |
Funding Method (Existing or Future Budget Request Required) |
Estimated Date of Needs |
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$- |
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Total |
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$- |
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County Strategic Plan Goal: 2. Connect our community with safe, reliable, equitably distributed, and well-maintained infrastructure.
County Strategic Plan Objective: R: Enhance disaster preparedness, response, recovery, and resiliency.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): E1: Modernize data and technology architecture across the legal system.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Decision Analysis Matrix Score (rubric on last page): 15
Previous Court Action: N/A
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Action Taken |
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Address: 201 Caroline St., Second Floor, Room 230 Houston, TX 77002
Precinct(s): Precinct 1
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Non-Labor |
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Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
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Existing Budget |
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$ |
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$ |
$ |
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Total Current Budget |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request |
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Commercial Paper |
$ |
$405,000 |
$405,000 |
$ |
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$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$405,000 |
$405,000 |
$ |
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Total Funding Request |
$ |
$405,000 |
$405,000 |
$ |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
- |
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Additional Positions Request |
- |
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Total Personnel |
- |
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Anticipated Court Date: 5/22/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Legal funding compliance confirmed by: Paige Abernathy, Assistant County Attorney, 4/30/2025
Department Approval by: Wes McCoy, Chief Deputy of Administration
OMB CIP Team Approval by: William McGuinness, Director-Capital Projects & Infrastructure, 5/5/2025
Commercial Paper Request (For OMB use only):
Receiving Department: District Clerk
Project PeopleSoft ID: TBD
CP Series Description: Commercial Paper Series D can be used for (1) construction of public works, (2) the purchase of automobiles, equipment and machinery, including computers, materials and supplies for the operation of the County’s precincts and departments (3) Professional services, including services provided by engineers, architects, attorneys, auditors, financial advisors, and fiscal agents, in connection with the contractual obligations described in (1) and (2).
Commercial Paper is being requested for the DCO Data Center UPS Upgrade project and is expected to be repaid within the next three fiscal years either through bonds, budgetary means or pay-as-you-go sources.
Note: Commercial Paper is issued in increments of $5,000 and the excess is not available to be spent by the department.
OMB Financial Management contact: Amy Perez, Deputy Executive Director, Office of Management and Budget
Decision Analysis Matrix scoring tool - Commissioners Court has approved the rubric below for scoring capital projects. Please complete the last two rows for OMB review.
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Scoring option |
Strategic Plan alignment (3x weighting) |
Evidence base |
Impact on outcomes |
Cost effectiveness |
Ease of implementation |
Collaboration / partnerships |
Environmental sustainability |
Equity |
Total |
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-1 |
Antithetical to one or more aspects of the Strategic Plan |
Evidence shows net negative impact on the intended goal |
Impact is clearly negative |
Costs expected (or shown) to outweigh benefits |
County has no/limited existing capabilities and dependencies are likely to impede |
Could negatively impact relationships with partners |
Negatively impacts environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Inequitable |
n/a |
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0 |
Does not align to a Strategic Objective |
Evidence base is not well defined or measurable |
Size of impact on one or more strategic outcomes is negligible or unclear |
Net comparison is unclear |
County has no/limited existing capabilities or dependencies are likely to impede |
Does not involve collaboration with partners |
Net neutral impact on environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Does not consider equity to a meaningful degree |
n/a |
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1 |
Aligns to a Strategic Objective but not to a Strategic Initiative |
Limited evidence-based research on outcomes; may have qualitative/theoretical support |
Outcomes are defined but without target levels and/or expected impact is moderate |
Moderate direct/indirect benefit relative to costs |
County has existing capability to implement or dependencies are unlikely to impede |
Moderately expands County leverage through collaboration with partner(s) |
Marginally positive impact on environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Considers equity to a meaningful degree, but not comprehensively |
n/a |
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2 |
Aligns to a Strategic Objective and a Strategic Initiative |
Outcomes are directly supported by evidence base or credible research supports anticipated outcomes |
Outcomes are clearly defined and include target levels; expected impact on outcomes is high |
Significant direct/indirect benefit relative to costs |
County has existing capability to implement and dependencies are unlikely to impede |
Significantly expands County leverage through collaboration with partner(s) |
Positively impacts environment and/or climate change mitigation efforts |
Considers equity meaningfully and comprehensively |
n/a |
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Score (-1,0,1,2) |
6 |
2 |
2 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
0 |
0 |
15 |
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Rationale |
The project aligns with G-2 and Objective R and Justice/Safe Initiative E1. |
The outcome is supported by a reasonably projected higher number of residents and law enforcement served |
The UPS system is a cornerstone of our disaster recovery and business continuity planning, ensuring the operational resilience of justice technology services in the face of man-made or natural disasters |
The quote being consider for the project was provided by County Approved Vendor familiar with the location of the Datacenter. |
The DCO Network Manager has been instrumental in the proposed project in understanding the requirements and costs involved. |
The DCO has been working together with necessary County Agencies to ensure policies and procedures are followed. |
The DCO does not see a negative impact with this project proposed. |
The project does not include an equity component. |
n/a |